Ink-fountain for printing-presses



(No Model.)

1). s. CLARK. INK FOUNTAIN FOR PRINTING PRBSSES Patented Dec. 20, 1887.

E E E iQY -EEEEEFEQ her, Wnhi UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DWIGHT s. CLARK, or OAMBRIDGEPORT, ASSIGNOR TO w. H. FORBES, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

INK-FOUNTAIN FOR PRI NTING-PRESSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 375,126, dated December 20, 1887.

I v Application tiled December 22, 1886. Serial No. 222,293. (No model.)

To all whom i2; may concern: against said roll by means of set-screws simi- Be it known that I, DWIGHT S. CLARK, a lar to those shown at h, which pass through citizen of the United States, residing at Camthe frame and usually impinge against the bridgeport, in the county of Middlesex and plate near its lower edge. Screws of this kind 5 5 State of Massachusetts, have invented certain at short intervals asunder,and extending from new and useful Improvements in Iuk-Fountend to end of the fountain, provide, also, the ains for Printing-Presses, ofwhieh the followmeans for locally controlling theflow of ink, ing is a specification. so that the same forms belts or rings'upon the This invention is related to a large number face of the fountain-roll, which vary in width 60 [O of devices designed to effect and control the peand thickness to suit the character of the work, riodic supply of the ink or color used in printand are in like condition transported to the ing-machines; and its special object is to fainking apparatus by the action of the duct'orcilitate the adjustment of the same and to hinroll. This necessary adjustment of the ink, der loss of material and time. both general and local, is attempted in most 65 1 In the drawings forming part of this specififountains; but it is invariably attended with cation, Figure 1 represents the ink-fountain I difficulty and uncertainty, and it is the means have invented in plan. Fig. 2 is a back elefor overcoming this difficulty which forms one vation of the same. Fig. 3 is a cross-section part of the subject-matter of this invention. on the dotted line or m. Fig. 4 is an end elc- Furthermore, my invention consists in shut- 70 vation of cam rod; Fig. 5, a plan view of ting off at any time the flow of ink totally by the same. Figs. 6 and 7 are side and end elea uniform and sufficient pressure of the knife vations, respectively, of the follower used in against the face of the fountain-roll without connection with the knife-adjusting screws; thereby affecting the adjustment of the ink- Fig. 8, a view of oneof these screws. supply when next the flow of ink is required. 75 In the figures,c represents the fountain-roll, Both these ends are secured by the devices which does not differ essentially from that in now to be described. frequentuseonlarge presses. Thesteelknife The set-screws 71, one of which is shown on I) is secured to the horizontal piece 0, the ends a larger scale in Fig. 8, do not impinge .upon of which are slotted so as to slide in andout the knife directly, as is usually the case, but 8: between the checks (1, where they are held in are adapted to push forward short intermediproper position while in use by the screws 0. ate rods, 6, one of which is shown in side and The elasticknife-blade b is thereby maintained end elevation in Figs. 6 and 7. It will be seen in its inclined position,so that its lower edge, that each rod is provided with a squared head, when unconstrained, springs a shortdistance which prevents it from turning, and that the 85 5 away from the fountain-roll a, with which itis one-sided projection, formed as in the drawparallel. The ends or cheeks (l, in which are ings, rests against one face of an angular groove the bearings for the roller-shaft f, are conin a'cam-rod, k. hen this rod is given the nected by the Stiff girder g, and with it form position seen in Fig. 3, the intermediate pieces, the fountain-frame. i, canall fall back as far as the set-screws h 0 0 As in other fountains, the printing-ink is will let them; but when the cam-rod is parplaced in the angular trough formed by the tially revolved in the direction of the arrow in fountain-roll on one side and the knife on the Fig. 4, so as to strike the under side of the other, and as the roll revolves it carries with squared projection 10 on the intermediate it a film of ink upon its Surface past the edge pieces, thelatter are all forced upward against 9 5 of the knife. From this Surface the ductorthe knife and press it against the face of the roll, (not shown,) carries the requisite quanfountain-roll. tity of ink to the form-inking apparatus in the In Fig. 4 an end elevation of the can1-rod is well-known manner. To govern the quantity shown about full size, and in Fig. 5- a side eleof ink which shall adhere to the face of the vation of part of it on a much smaller scale. too fountain-roll the knife in all fountains of this This rod is supported in the bearings Z, and is class is pressed with greater or less force also provided with the lu'gsm. The latter fall into small recesses in the fountain-frame, where they act as levers whereby the cam-rod is given its partial revolution, the set-screws a being introduced through the heaviest part of the frame for that purpose. In lifting the intermediate rods, 73, the projection marked 0, Fig. 4, engages with the under side of the square head at 1), Fig. 6, the flat planed upon the cam-rod (marked q) running its whole length, as indicated by the dotted line in Fig. 5.

One of the advantages secured by the interposition of the pieces 2 lies in the fact that they approach and press against theknife without turning, and as a consequence present always exactly the same part of the projecting end marked 1' to the plate, whereas when the screws h extend to the knife they are constantly rotated, and according to the pressure present a slightly varying spot on the end against the elastic steel blade. Such screws are in constant use, and the ends are subject to wear because of the rotation,which becomes in consequence somewhat one-sided in time; or they may have a slight eccentricity from the start. In either case a partial revolution of each screw does not give a proportionate result, and the pressman has in consequence to distrust the accomplishment of a desired change until he sees it. This is especially true when the set-scrcws h reach the knife obliquely and not at right angles, as in most of the drawingsaecoinpanying this specification. In many cases the position of the adjusting-screws which I have shown, though a very desirable one, is inadmissible because of the position necessarily given to the fountain in many presses.

In large power-presses, and especially in those employed for chromatic printing, when the work ceases at the close of each day the set-screws in ordinary fountains should, as a rule, be tightened up to prevent dripping and waste. By doing this all the trouble of readjusting those screws has to be repeated each morning with much loss of time and waste. In the fountain I have invented, on the contrary, the screws h are not altered when the machine stops, only those marked a being screwed up,whereby the lugs mare acted upon and the camrod ]t' made to turn, and so force at once all theintermediate pieces, i, up against the knife, and thereby cut off the flow of ink effectually. When the press is next started, the screws 12 are relaxed, and the intermediate pieces, 11, falling back upon the ends of the screws h, the adjustment of the flow of ink is without more trouble exactly what it was when the press stopped. The construction shown in Fig. 3 secures, moreover, the advantage that the points of contact used to force up the knife remain always the same, whether for the adjustment of the flow of ink while the press is running or for shutting it off completely without interfering with that adjustment when the work for a day ceases. Under these circumstances the strains to which the elastic plate is subjected are always alike in kind and in direction, which insures its uniform behavior indefinitely.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. In an ink-fountain,the combination of the fountainroll and flexible knife with a series ofscrews for adjusting the edge of the knife in relation to the roll, and sliding followers having angular heads for preventing the turning of the same interposed between the screws and the knife, substantially as described.

' 2. In an ink-fountain, the interposed pieces 1' and the canrrod k, engaged therewith, in combination with the screw it and with the fountain-knife, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In an ink-fountain, the combination of the fountain-roll and flexible knife with a series of set-screws for adj Listing the edge of the knife in relation to the roll-sliding followers provided with heads interposed between the screws and the knife, and a cam acting upon the heads for forcing the edge of the knife against the roll, substantially as described.

4. In anink-fountain, the combination of the fountain-roll and the flexible knife with a series of setscrews for adjusting the edge of the knife in relation to the roll, sliding followers interposed between the screws and the knife, and alifting-cam acting upon the followers independently of the screws, substantially as described.

5. The combination, in an ink-fountain, of the roll a, the knife 12, the intermediate pieces, i, provided with squared projecting heads 1), the cam 7c, provided with the lugs m and actuated by the screws 12, and the set-screws h, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DVVIGI-I'I S. CLARK.

\Vitnesses:

OREN S. KNAPP, CHAS. D. ADAMS. 

